Erik-Emmanyuel Shmitt

Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt is a French and Belgian writer and playwright.

Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt was born in 1960; as a child, he was passionately devoted to music and played the piano.

He intended to become a composer, but gave up the idea after entering college, where his teachers noticed and encouraged his literary talent. Nevertheless, alongside his studies at college, he continued to take music lessons at the Lyon Conservatory.

In 1986, Schmitt entered the École Normale Supérieure to study philosophy. After successfully graduating from one of France’s most prestigious higher-education institutions, he defended his doctoral thesis, “Diderot and Metaphysics” (Diderot et la métaphysique).

Later, part of this work was included in the essay “Diderot, or the Philosophy of Seduction” (Diderot ou la philosophie de la séduction), published in 1997. He then spent several years teaching philosophy at the lycée in Cherbourg and at the University of Chambéry.

His first plays brought him audience acclaim and critical recognition: “The Night in Valoni” — contemporary variations on the fate of Don Juan, staged with great success by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1991; then came “The Visitor” (Le Visiteur), set in Sigmund Freud’s office during the Second World War and presenting a conversation between Freud and an unknown visitor.

This work brought the author three Molière Awards in 1994, including in the categories “Best Production of the Year” and “Discovery of the Year.” The success of “The Visitor” became a decisive event in Schmitt’s career. Since then, productions based on his works have been staged in many theaters around the world. In Russia, Schmitt’s plays have been staged in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Novosibirsk.

The many facets of the writer’s talent are revealed not only in drama, but also in prose. In 1994, his first novel, “The Sect of Egoists” (La secte des égoïstes), was published and received enthusiastically by critics.

The author was awarded the literary prize for debut novels (Prix du premier roman). His storytelling mastery and